grub
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grub
- /ɡɹʌb/
- /ɡɹʊb/ Ireland, Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌb
Where it comes from
From Middle English grubben, grobben, from Old English *grubbian, from Proto-West Germanic *grubb-, from Proto-Germanic *grubb- (compare Middle Dutch grobben (“to scrape, scramble, grab”), Old High German grubilōn (“to dig, search”), German grübeln (“to meditate, ponder”)), from Proto-Germanic *grub- (“to dig”) (see *grabaną).
The noun sense of "larva" is from Middle English grub, grubbe, grobbe, crubbe and may derive from the notion of "digging insect" from the verb above, or from the uncertainly related Middle English grub (“dwarfish fellow”). Compare West Frisian krobbe (“beetle”). The slang sense of "food" is first recorded 1659, and has been linked with birds eating grubs or with bub (“drink”).
noun grubs · grob
-
An insect, especially a beetle, at an immature stage of its life cycle.
Similar: larva
-
Food.
pub grub
Similar: aliment, bait, belly-timber, chow, comestibles, cuisine, eatables, eats, edibles, feed, fodder, foodstuffs
- A dirty person.
- A despicable person; a lowlife.
- A short, thick man; a dwarf. John Romane, a short clownish grub, would bear the whole carcase of an ox, yet never tugged with him.
verb grubs · grubbing · grubbed · grob
- To scavenge or in some way scrounge, typically for food.
- To dig; to dig up by the roots; to root out by digging; often followed by up. to grub up trees, rushes, or sedge
- To supply with food.
- To eat. “[…] John dear, we must give this little fellow his supper, you know.” “Of course we must, my darling.” “He has been grubbing and grubbing at school,” said Bella, looking at her father’s hand and lightly slapping it, “till he’s not fit to be seen. O what a grubby child!”
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sponge, ferret, cadge, chuck, feed, chow, eats, bum, mooch, give, wasp, food, eat, eating, plate, meal
Translations
Every language
noun immature insect
| Español | larva, verme |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 유충 yuchung |
| 日本語 | 幼虫 yōchū |
| 中文 | 幼蟲 /幼虫 yòuchóng |
| Português | larva |
| Français | larve |
| Deutsch | Larve, Wurm |
| Italiano | larva, bruco |
| Ελληνικά | κάμπια kámpia |
| Română | larvă |
| Русский | личи́нка ličínka |
| Tiếng Việt | ấu trùng |
| العربية | يَرَقَة yaraqa |
| עברית | דֶּרֶן déren |
noun slang: food
| Español | manduca, manducatoria, condumio, papeo, morfi, morfe |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 食べ物 tabemono, 食い物 kuimono, めし meshi |
| 中文 | 吃食 chīshi, 吃喝 chīhē, 嚼頭 /嚼头 |
| Português | gororoba |
| Français | bouffe |
| Deutsch | Fressalien, Futter, Mampf |
| Italiano | sbobba |
| Ελληνικά | μάσα mása |
| Русский | харчи́ xarčí, жратва́ žratvá, ха́вчик xávčik, харч xarč |
| עברית | מזון mazón |
verb scavenge or scrounge
| 日本語 | たかる takaru |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | τρώω tróo |
| Română | a cauta prin gunoaie, a curata (solul de radacini) |
Talk about this word "grub." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/grub. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. grub. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/grub "grub." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/grub.Cite this
@misc{grub_2026,
title = {grub},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/grub},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
